About 800 “combat-ready” soldiers will deploy to Camps Hovey and Stanley, Republic of Korea, for nine months. This includes the entire battalion and its forward support company, said division spokesman Maj. Chris Brautigam.

“The combined arms battalion’s main objective is to improve combat crew readiness on the peninsula through successful integration of the unit into 2nd Infantry Division,” said Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson, spokeswoman for Eighth Army in Korea. “The unit brings to the peninsula the ability to conduct full-spectrum operations, which means it can apply combat power through simultaneous and continuous combinations of offense, defense, stability and civil support.”

As part of the Army Force Generation rotational plan, the battalion’s deployment increases theater readiness, but not the overall force strength in Korea, Johnson said. The Fort Hood soldiers will join about 28,500 other U.S. forces in the country.

This action supports the United States’ defense commitment to Korea as specified by the mutual defense treaty and presidential agreements, according to a Defense Department release.

There was “nothing specific” required to train for the mission, Brautigam said — just the traditional marksmanship certification at individual and collective levels.

Once the rotation is complete, the battalion will leave its equipment in country for use by future rotations, the release stated.

Officials added that the deployment is part of United States’ enduring rebalancing efforts within the Asia-Pacific region, and allows for greater responsiveness to better meet theater operational requirements.

Rose L. Thayer is the military editor for the Killeen Daily Herald. She joined the paper in February 2011 as a health and military reporter. View her complete profile Here. You can contact Rose L. Thayer at rthayer@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7463. Follow her on Twitter at KDHmilitary.